Learn: Top 10 Tips for Beach Fashion Portraiture

From dodging sand to reducing squinting, beach portraiture can be harder than it sounds. Portrait photographer Juan Samudio shares his tried-and-tested advice for capturing sunny fashion portraits on the beach.

Juan Samudio's beach fashion portraiture advice includes:

• Bring the right gear

• Plan your shoot with the model

• Shoot when the sun is low

• Use a wide aperture

• Experiment with direct light and backlight

• Keep an eye on the tide clock

• Bring a reflector

• Shoot in RAW and edit your photos

• Consider 35mm and 85mm prime lenses

• Grow your social media following

1. Bring the right gear

My go-to camera setup for portraits is usually my Sony A7C or Sony A7R III, which I use with two or three prime lenses. I pick those based on the mood and style of the photo shoot, along with a 5-in-1 reflector and my phone with a tripod to record behind-the-scenes shots.

Ever since I started my photography journey, I didn’t really have the newest or nicest equipment, but that was alright because it helped me be creative. The equipment someone has may limit what they can do with it, but when you have a limited amount of tools, you are forced to get creative to find different ways to accomplish what you want to do.

Don’t get me wrong—having some crazy unique lenses or the newest camera is definitely great. Upgrading your gear is always a good idea if you can afford it, but even if you don’t have the best camera or the nicest equipment, you are still capable of doing amazing things with what you have.

2. Plan your shoot with the model

When I am talking with a model for a shoot, I usually send five to ten reference photos. These have a similar vibe to what I have in mind. I ask the model for their opinion, and if they have any ideas for the shoot, so we can organize and plan the shoot together from there.

3. Shoot when the sun is lower

It helps to know how sunlight and shadow can affect the model from multiple angles. If you use angles, sunlight and shadows to your advantage, you can get creative and highlight the model. I mostly like shooting early in the morning or late in the afternoon, so the sun is lower in the sky. This makes it easier to control the direct sunlight and shadows more efficiently.

4. Use a wide aperture

For my exposure settings, I normally shoot with an aperture around f/1.8 and f/2.8 to create an out-of-focus background for better subject separation. I normally play with the shutter speed—try to keep it faster than 1/250 to prevent blur. I tend to keep the ISO as low as possible.

5. Experiment with direct light and backlight

Both direct light and backlight are useful for different situations. I love shooting backlit so that I can play with sunflares and keep the model away from any harsh lights that may cause unwanted shadows. Recently, I've been trying to shoot more with direct sunlight, and it honestly has been really fun. The results you get are completely different but amazing in their own way. You can also play around with the shadows made with direct sunlight to give the images a new perspective.

6. Keep an eye on the tide clock

Before the shoot, check the tide level on the beach. I’ve had multiple occasions where I arrived at a shoot to realize that most of the planned shooting locations were covered in water and unreachable. Knowing the tide level before the shoot can also help you plan for specific ideas you might have for a photo shoot, as a beach can be completely different depending on the tide level.

7. Bring a reflector

Always bring a reflector with you to a portrait or fashion photoshoot at the beach. Having a reflector can really help a lot when you want to play around with that natural light you get at the beach. They're pretty easy to carry around, so it should not be an issue to bring with you.

8. Shoot in RAW and edit your photos

When editing photos of a really sunny day, they tend to have a really bright light, either directly into the model or being reflected in some parts of the background. This may give or take focus away from the model. So you may have to take some extra time editing the highlights and shadows of these photos.

9. Consider 35mm and 85mm prime lenses

I normally only shoot with prime lenses. Although, it can get tricky, as it limits the different focal lengths you can use during your shoot, compared to having zoom lenses. My favourite duo of lenses right now would be the 35mm and 85mm prime lenses. I can have two completely different perspectives and get a variety of photos during a photoshoot.

10. Grow your following on social media

Each platform has its tricks and hacks to help you grow your social media following. But overall, the most important thing that you really need is passion and excitement. Enjoy the process, be patient and give back to the people who support you. Be social, make friends and help others in the community.

Read more tips and techniques on the MPB Content Hub.